A driver of a vehicle typically operates devices in the vehicle using switches, screens, keypads or other input mechanism that typically involve fingers or hands. Such input mechanisms may be used to operate, for example, a navigation system, an entertainment system, a climate system, and a phone system. Head-up displays (HUDs) are also being used to present information associated with such systems on the windshield of a vehicle. The HUDs can present various types of useful information to the driver without having the user to change the point of gaze from a road to the dashboard or console of the vehicle.
Sometimes, a complicated series of operations must be performed on the input mechanism to issue a desired command to the devices in a vehicle. Such operations may cause the driver to operate a steering wheel of the vehicle by one hand while operating the input mechanism using the other hand. However, it is preferable for the driver to keep both hands on the steering wheel and operate these input devices by a hand intermittently for only a brief period of time. Depending on the complexity of the operations, it may take multiple attempts to operate the input devices before the driver can perform operations as desired.
Further, the speed of the vehicle sometimes demands quick input from the driver. For example, if a driver is looking for a nearby restaurant on a highway, he may have a limited time to query the navigation system before passing an exit of the highway. If the query and the response are not made before passing the exit, the driver may have to take another query for the restaurants near the next exit. Such query operations are often made while the user is actively engaged in the operation of the vehicle, exacerbating the likelihood of inaccurate input due to decreased attention span and mobility of hands.
Due to limited attention span and mobility of hands, the driver may end up providing inaccurate user input. Such user input result in unintended operations and waste of time spent on subsequent remedial actions.